Perhaps unsurprisingly, the French drink more Champagne than any other nation per capita, at one bottle per year per person. Brits come in second at three flutes per year. The United States doesn't even rank in the top five, sipping less than one flute per person per year.

Richard Geoffroy, the chef de cave for Dom Perignon, would like Americans to become more European in their outlook. Instead of saving Champagne for landmark events, "create the occasion," he said at a recent tasting at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco.

"I'm often asked about the rules for enjoyment of Champagne. There are no rules. Just be available for the experience."

For those who need prodding, the company that created Champagne is showcasing a special vintage, its 1995 Oenothèque (retailing for roughly $400 a bottle). It is part of a vintage previously reserved by the chef du cave in a wine library for in-house use, so that winemakers could see how its flavor, structure and style aged over the long term. Every Dom is aged a minimum of seven years before release; the Oenothèque had an additional six years on the lees. Dom, properly stored, can age for 20 years or more.

Geoffroy released the Oenothèque to put the wines in perspective. "It's a magnifying lens on the unique characters of Dom," he said.

The iconic brand is known for its tension, the vibrancy of the aromatics, the precision and harmony of the flavors, the weightlessness and silkiness of its bubbles and fizz.

The Dom Vintage 1995 featured flavors of golden honey, marzipan and wet straw. The 1995 Oenothèque, meanwhile, featured hints of mineral, oyster shell, seaweed, iodine, toast, smoke and peat, with a long build and glide to the finish.

"Dom is about many paradoxes," he said. "It is fragile but also has a major presence, an experience of the highest level. It's emotional. The wine at that level will be a mirror of your inner self. That's the beauty of the greatest wines on earth."